Malnutrition is basically a dietary deficiency. This article will focus on undernutrition when a child or a person lacks nutrients because of lack of consumption of enough food. Poor diet or improper diet lead to a lack of certain important vitamins, minerals, and other essential substances.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 462 million people worldwide are malnourished and stunted development due to poor diet globally. In most of the parts of the world, undernutrition/malnutrition results from a lack of food.

Malnutrition during childhood can lead not only to long-term health problems but also malnourished children often have smaller babies when they grow up. It result in a slow recovery from wounds and illnesses and can complicate diseases such as measles, pneumonia, malaria and diarrhoea. Therefore, malnutrition overall reduces the immunity which makes the person more susceptible to diseases.

Undernutrition or malnutrition results from insufficient intake of food like (carbohydrates, fats), proteins, and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).

Energy and protein malnutrition can cause marasmus, kwashiorkor, and marasmus-kwashiorkor. Lack of protein or very little protein in the diet can lead to kwashiorkor, symptoms of which include a distended abdomen, loss of muscle mass, stunted growth, oedema Malnutrition in children. Malnutrition generally results from a poor diet or a lack of food. It happens when the intake of nutrients is poorly balanced.

Malnutrition can lead to wasting of muscles, delayed growth, obesity etc but if a person is lean thin, it doesn’t mean that he or she is malnourished. It is the basic body constitution of the person which makes him or her lean thin or chubby.

-Low intake of food:
This may be caused due to lower socio-economic conditions, inadequate food intake, chronic infections.

-Mental health problems:
Certain mental conditions also lead to malnutrition that is dementia, bulimia, depression, schizophrenia, and anorexia nervosa.

-Digestive disorders and stomach conditions:
If the body does not absorb nutrients or proper assimilation is not there, even a healthful diet may not prevent malnutrition.
People with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis suffer from malnutrition as celiac disease is a genetic disorder that involves a gluten intolerance. It results in damage to the villi of the intestine which prevent food absorption.

-Lack of breastfeeding:
Lack of breastfeeding, especially in the developing country lead to malnutrition in infants and children.

-In older people, especially who are hospitalized or in long-term institutional care
-individuals who are socially isolated
-people with low incomes
-people who have a gastrointestinal problem which causes difficulty in absorption
-people with eating disorders, such as bulimia or anorexia nervosa
-people who are ill from prolonged

In homeopathy alfa-alfa tonic is being given in order to cope up with malnutrition in children as it has a wonderful result, usually mothers are giving their children the alfa-alfa tonic in order to raise their appetite, immunity and growth. It has no side effects and is easy to take.

For more information, you can visit WHO and UNICEF.